Ceviche with potato and pea shoot salad

Whenever I have ceviche, it still takes me back to sitting in Lima, Peru, overlooking the ocean. But even without those memories, it’s a dish anyone can enjoy. It’s really easy to prepare and full of fresh, citrus flavors. A wonderful start to any meal.

A number of years ago now, I arranged that when I moved a new job, I had a two week break before getting stuck in to the new role. I didn’t have masses of time to organize things but I fairly quickly decided to take a tour around Peru. It’s somewhere that had been on my bucket list for ages and I loved every minute of it. It’s a fantastic place and I got to see some amazing sites and try some delicious foods. Plus the group on my tour was great – I say ‘tour’ in the loosest terms possible as I can’t do fully guided tours, especially having been a tour guide in a past life myself. I liked it so much, in fact, that I went back a couple years later – partly to hike the Inca Trail that I hadn’t managed by being so last minute the first time.

What is ceviche?

One of the many dishes I loved from the trip was ceviche. It’s basically fish quick-cured in citrus juice, usually with chili of some kind in there too and sometimes other additions. It’s such a simple dish but delicious combination, as long as your fish is fresh of course, and one I am still drawn to if I see it in restaurants. For whatever reason, though, I don’t make it often at home but I think I might have to change that after making this recently.

It’s such a fresh-tasting dish that while it’s not strictly-speaking a spring dish, it has that feeling of welcoming in the warm weather. In-keeping with the spring theme, I decided to serve it here with a simple salad of potatoes and pea shoots. The flavor of ceviche is quite delicate so you don’t want it with anything too overpowering so this lightly-dressed salad is perfect. A couple slices of avocado in the little stack I made, and you have an appetizer (or light lunch) that’s fresh, healthy, and looks and tastes fantastic.

How it’s made

Ceviche is really easy to make, as you might have guessed by now. All you do is chop up the fish, then put it in a bowl with lemon and lime juice, chili and garlic. There are other variations on it, but this simple mix works well. Leave the acidic mix to ‘cook’ the fish – it will go transparent. Meanwhile, make the salad which is simply cooked potatoes diced up with pea shoots, chopped up fairly small, and a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Simple but it all works so well together.

Everything in here is pretty light so it works well as an appetizer, but you could also just as easily bulk it out a little maybe with a green salad for a lunch. However you choose to have it, ceviche is one of those things to savor. The flavors are delicate but delicious. It’s something that brings back great memories for me, but even without that, it’s still delicious. Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean.

Remove any skin from the fish and dice in around 1/2in/1cm pieces. Put it in a bowl with the lemon and lime juice, chili and garlic and set aside for a minimum of 20min but more may be better, depending on the fish (if over around 20min, refrigerate). It will go transparent both on the outside and further through the fish as it is ready.

Meanwhile make the salad - boil the potatoes until tender (around 8-10min depending on size of potatoes). Drain and allow to cool.

Dice the potatoes relatively small, around 1/4in/1/2cm. Chop the pea shoots into small pieces and place both in a bowl with the olive oil, lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Mix well.

Peel and thinly slice the avocado.

Layer up the salad, using a large cookie cutter or similar as a mould. Start with a layer of potato salad, then a layer of avocado slices and topped with the ceviche. Remove the mould carefully and serve.

Yum! While ceviche may be easy to make, I love how you combined it with the potatoes and pea shoot salad. I must admit that in a former life the avocado would have been an odd flavor to me. (Just because I didn’t grow up with it.) But after living in Australia for a bit, I can see how it contributes a bit of balance to the dish. We eat a lot of avocados here! Your presentation is stunning too! Happy FF!

Actually this is a dish I have never tried but I do love fish. Your pea shoots remind me that I have seeds I need to start so I can grow my own to garnish different recipes. Thanks for bringing some memories from your trip to Peru with Fiesta Friday. Nice presentation too!

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Welcome! I'm Caroline and this is where I share recipes inspired by travels, places I want to go, or just ideas from feeding the family. Most recipes are easy to make and healthier, but there are treats too! Read More…

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